Okay, Who Was the Last President Who Smoked?

Free Republic ^ | 5/2/03 | self

[HenryLeeII]

That's a nice piece. What/where is it, if I may be so bold as to ask...

[Grand Old Partisan]

Is the question about the President with the "friend"? If so, the answer is James Buchanan.

[Paulus Invictus]

Clinton and his cigars. Before him it was FDR. JFK smoked an occasional cigar too. Truman smoked in the Army, but he was a great imbiber of bourbon.

[oyez]

9 out of 10 smokers that have tried Camels prefer women.

[oyez]

I understand LBJ liked ice cream for breakfast. That should have done wonders for his cholesterol count.

[Fred Mertz]

Laura Bush smokes? Kewl!

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

"Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909 none
Woodrow Wilson 1913-1921 none"

You left a gap, 1909-1913 . . . this belongs to William Howard Taft - did he smoke? Preference?

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

Tom Dewey? Did I miss something? Tom Dewey, President 19__-19__? The Chicago Trib headline was right after all?

[Seti 1]

Bubba (Cigars!)

Bubba found other uses for his cigars. I think FDR was the last President to smoke openly.

[L,TOWM]

I read a story somewhere that he took up smoking, went off his low cholestrol diet, and started drinking again right after Ladybird died. One of his Admin Assistants asked him why he was eating steaks, smoking, and popping off bourbon by the gallon.

I actually liked his reply: "When I go, I want it to be quick". He died a few months later of a massive coronary; the ER doctor said later that LBJ was "probably dead before he hit the floor".

[Seti 1]

Wonderful how someone comes up with appropriate pictures whatever the topic.

[Seti 1]

Nice story but Ladybird outlived LBJ by several years.

[Charles Henrickson]

Lady Bird: "I'm not dead yet!"

[L,TOWM]

Well, last time I heard the story, I think I was 14...

I am pretty certain about the "I want it to be quick" quote though...

[wideminded]

Interesting that Grover Cleveland, the one president who used chewing tabacoo, is also the only president who had an operation for mouth cancer.

This operation was carried out in secret aboard a ship while he was in office. I believe that both the tumor removed and the prosthesis he wore to replace the part of his jaw that was removed are on display in separate museums.

[wideminded]

Upon further research I find that Ulysses S. Grant also had oral cancer and died of it, although the cancer did not occur until after he was president. A slave who knew Grant for many years said that besides smoking cigars and a pipe, at one time "he chewed tobacco excessively also".

References:

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/people/political_figures.htm

http://www.mscomm.com/~ulysses/page169.html

[southernnorthcarolina]

Nice story but Ladybird outlived LBJ by several years.

By 30 years, so far... and still counting.

[Publius6961]

I believe JFK smoked occasionally.
Another possibility is LBJ.

Obviously Bush Sr. allowed smoking at the White House.

[Publius6961]

Why sure.
Since everything in the universe is all about you, I'll quit...

Tomorrow.

[RightWhale]

I know the answer. Do you?

Bill Clinton smoked, but Hillary wouldn't allow it in the house because it would ruin her complexion and her speaking voice.